Placement of user information in a game space

ABSTRACT

The generation, association, and display of in-game tags are disclosed. Such tags introduce an additional dimension of community participation to both single and multiplayer games. Through such tags, players are empowered to communicate through filtered text messages and images as well as audio clips that other game players, including top rated players, have generated and placed at particular coordinates and/or in context of particular events within the game space. The presently described in-game tags and associated user generated content further allow for label based searches with respect to game play.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present continuation application claims the priority benefit of U.S.Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 12/777,268 filed on May 11,2010 and titled, “Placement of User Information in a Game Space,” whichis hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to interactive game play. Morespecifically, the present application relates to placement ofuser-generated content to aid a user with interactive game play.

Description of the Related Art

Improvements in processing power and graphics quality have lead toincreasingly complex interactive gaming environments. For example, thePlayStation®3's RSX graphics processor allows for freedom of graphicsexpression in creating next-generation, real-time 3D imagery. Working intandem with Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.'s Cell Broadband Engine™Architecture, RSX processor rendered graphics are unparalleled inquality and realism.

Increasingly complex gaming environments have, in turn, resulted in morecomplex story lines, game play objectives, missions and tasks, andcapabilities associated with game play avatars. As a result, interactivegame play has become more challenging even for experienced game players.If a game becomes too challenging, however, game players may forsakefuture game play out of frustration.

To help game players overcome obstacles or achieve goals in a variety ofinteractive games, various content providers have begun publishing gamemagazines. These magazines provide game players with a ‘walk thru’ thattell the reader/game player where to go and what to do in order to ‘win’the game or obtain the highest possible score. Hints or suggestions withrespect to special moves or avatar capabilities may also be described inthese gaming magazines.

While these magazines may be informative, they suffer from a number ofdrawbacks. If the magazine is not published by an official source (e.g.,an official partner of the game developer), the magazine may omitessential information. In some instances, an unofficial magazine maypublish incorrect information. Incorrect information may also resultfrom the tendency to rush and publish these magazines concurrently withthe release of an interactive game title to allow for concurrentpurchase—even if the magazine is published by an official source.

Game players may also discover ‘Easter Eggs’ or other secrets during thecourse of game play. These secrets may not be a part of even an officialmagazine due to the fact that some game design engineers ‘slip in’ theseEaster Eggs without the knowledge of the magazine publisher. Manyinteractive games also allow for the creation of special moves that maynot have initially been conceived of by the game developer. As a result,these special moves are not a part of the game play magazine—official orotherwise—as their development occur after the magazine and associatedgame has gone to market.

Once game play magazines publish, subsequent editions tend not to bepublished. The lack of subsequent, updated editions may further theinformation that may be withheld from game players. Unique game playsituations or circumstances may not become apparent until theinteractive game is played by a large number of game players. Thesesituations and circumstances may not be addressed in the gaming magazinethereby leaving game players at a loss as to how they may properlyaddress the same.

In contrast, the Internet offers the opportunity for endless publishingand republishing of information. Notwithstanding endless publishingpossibilities, websites on the Internet are often decentralized andunorganized. In some instances, there is no ‘official website’ as gamedevelopers may wish for game players to purchase a ‘for fee’ officialmagazine rather than access a free on-line website. Additionally, onewebsite may offer one solution for one particular game play situationwhereas another website may offer a solution for another situation. Inorder for a game player to obtain a complete ‘walk thru’ of a particularinteractive game, the user may have to visit multiple websites on theInternet. Since these websites tend to be ‘unofficial,’ there is oftenan issue with the veracity or accuracy of the information displayed onthese websites.

A further lacking in the aforementioned prior art solutions is the factthat this information—regardless of source, thoroughness, or quality—isthat the information lacks contextual relevance. Some game playenvironments include a variety of ‘acts’ or ‘levels’ of game play; thesescenes or levels often include a variety of subsidiary ‘scenes’ or‘stages.’ For example, a game based on the D-Day military offensive mayinvolve four scenes: crossing the English Channel; advancing up OmahaBeach; taking artillery positions at the head of the beach; and securingnumerous military objectives in the French countryside. Game play adviceconcerning how to best maneuver an LCM Landing Craft while crossing theEnglish Channel has no value to the game player that currently needsadvice on how to best conduct a room-to-room search in the bombed outbuildings of the nearby town of Bayeux. Locating the contextuallyappropriate game play advice may be time consuming if not confusing to agame player in the ‘heat of battle.’

The aforementioned prior art game play advice solutions are also wantingfor lack of real-time provisioning of information. Many of today'sinteractive games are incredibly realistic, action-intensive simulationssuch as Warhawk from Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. A gameplayer often finds themselves ‘in the zone’ with respect to game play.If a game player is continually forced to interrupt game play (e.g.,‘pausing’ the game) in order to flip through pages of a game playmagazine or click-thru various pages of content on the Internet, thegame player will quickly find themselves losing their rhythm. In suchcomplex game play environments, loss of that rhythm may be to thedetriment of continued game play regardless of any hints or informationthat may have been acquired during the interruption.

Many games are also network or community-based with multiple playerslocated around the country or around the world. Such games may occur inreal-time. In certain of these games, the interruption of game playthrough ‘pause’ functionality may not be an option as may be availablein a single-player game environment. The game player may be forced todrop out of a particular network game because the gaming environmentcannot both exist in a timed-out/paused state for one game player yetcontinue in real-time for all others.

While some network or community-based games may allow for a ‘pause’ orother ‘time out’ feature, doing so may be to the detriment of the playerinvoking the interruption. In some games, for example, other gameplayers may continue to advance through the game play environment byobtaining objects of value or reaching objectives within theenvironment. In other games, competing and non-paused players mayposition themselves to take retributive action on the ‘paused’ gameplayer when they re-enter the gaming environment. For example, anon-paused player may sneak up behind a ‘paused’ player in a combatenvironment and assassinate the ‘paused’ player at point-blank range asthe ‘paused’ player is unable to observe or react to events in the gameenvironment while in a paused state.

There is a need in the art for game play advice that is complete andup-to-date regardless of when a particular interactive gaming title isreleased. Further, there is a need for game play advice that ispervasive and easily accessible to game players. There is a stillfurther need for game play advice that is contextually appropriate andprovided in real-time when such information is needed most.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention provide a system and methods forplacement of user-generated content to aid a user with interactive gameplay.

A first claimed embodiment of the present invention includes a methodfor managing user-generated game play advice. An indication of alocation within a game space using a virtual coordinate system isreceived. The location corresponds to the desirability for rendering ofgame play advice. Game play advice is received from a user and assignedto a location within a game space previously identified as desirous ofgame play advice by using a virtual coordinate system. Game play adviceis then displayed during subsequent game play at the same locationwithin the game space using the virtual coordinate system, the game playadvice displayed in a manner that is appropriate with respect to apresent context of game play.

A further claimed embodiment of the present invention includes acomputer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program. Theprogram is executable by a computer to perform a method like thatdescribed above.

In a third claimed embodiment, a system for managing user-generated gameplay advice is described. The system includes a content submissionengine for receiving game play advice over a network and a virtualcoordinate system engine for assigning the game play advice to aparticular location within a game space. A context engine identifies acontext of an event during game play. The context of the eventcorresponds to game play advice associated with the particular locationwithin the game space. A display engine displays game play advicecorresponding to the context of the event identified by the contextengine and at the location of the event as identified by the virtualcoordinate system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system for placement of user-generatedcontent to aid a user with interactive game play.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary method for receipt and subsequentdisplay of user-generated game play advice using in-game tags.

FIG. 3 illustrates a game space including user-generated content.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention allows for the generation, association, anddisplay of in-game tags. Such tags introduce an additional dimension ofcommunity participation to both single and multiplayer games. Throughsuch tags, players are empowered to communicate through filtered textmessages and images as well as audio clips that other game players,including top rated players, have generated and placed at particularcoordinates and/or in context of particular events within the gamespace. The presently described in-game tags and associated usergenerated content further allow for label based searches with respect togame play.

In this context, the elements identified throughout are exemplary andmay include various alternatives, equivalents, or derivations thereof.Various combinations of hardware, software, and computer-executableinstructions may be utilized. Program modules and engines may includeroutines, programs, objects, components, and data structures thateffectuate the performance of particular tasks when executed by aprocessor, which may be general purpose or application specific.Computer-executable instructions and associated data structures storedin a computer-readable storage medium represent examples of programmingmeans for executing the steps of the methods and/or implementingparticular system configurations disclosed herein.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system 100 for placement ofuser-generated content to aid a user with interactive game play. Thesystem 100 of FIG. 1 includes a content submission engine 110, contentdatabase 120, virtual spatial coordinate (VSC) engine 130, game eventand context engine 140, and matching/display engine 150. While variousengines and databases are described in the context of FIG. 1, anembodiment of the present invention may offer the functionality of eachor certain of these engines and databases in a single ‘contentmanagement’ engine or database.

System 100 may be implemented in a network environment such as theInternet, a proprietary communications environment, or a combination ofthe two. In one example, system 100 is an integrated component of thePlayStation® Network. System 100 (or components thereof) may communicatewith the network environment utilizing any number of network interfacesas are known in the art. Examples of such interfaces include a1000BASE-T Ethernet port or an IEEE 802.11 b/g network WiFi interface.

System 100 may be implemented in a computing device such as a serverdedicated to managing user-generated content including maintenance ofvarious databases. Alternatively, system 100 may be implemented in acomputing device hosting a number of applications such as communitymaintenance, admission, and network game data distribution. System 100may be dedicated to a single network game, a genre of games, or anynumber of games having no particular affiliation at all.

System 100 may also be implemented in a distributed peer-to-peerenvironment. In such an implementation, certain applications and/orresponsibilities may be managed by a group of computing devices in theenvironment.

Various engines may be distributed to a community of users (e.g.,players of a particular game or users in a general gaming network)through a push operation from a tasked server in the game community.Alternatively, various engines may be embodied in a computer-readablestorage medium that also includes a particular game application (e.g., adisc). Distributed applications and engines may communicate directly viaa group of peers or may be administered by a management server.

Content submission engine 110 is executable to allow a user tocommunicate with the system 100 over network for generation of in-gametags and the corresponding submission of user generated content. In-gametags include custom information placed by a user during game play andcan include text messages, web links, images, audio or video clips, anduser profile information. In-game tags rely upon virtual spacecoordinates, which are governed by the virtual space coordinate engine130 and described in further detail below, which allow for consistentpositional information pertaining to the game space to be assigned to anin-game tag.

Execution of content submission engine 110 may generate a user-interfacefor allowing user interaction with the system 100. The interface allowsa user to assign user generated information to a particular virtualspace coordinate (VSC) and a corresponding tag within the game space.The interface specifically allows for allocation of user generatedcontent as might contemporaneously or previously have been stored incontent database 120.

During game play, a user may navigate a particular portion of a gameenvironment such as a particular passageway as illustrated in FIG. 3.After having played a particular game a number of times, a user mightbelieve that they have particularly useful information to offer otherplayers of the same game such as warnings about enemies entering thatpassageway or the best way to navigate the passageway and move onto asubsequent game environment. A user might wish to share that informationwith other game players.

Through depressing a particular button on a control device (orcombination of buttons) used in conjunction with game play, a tag isassigned to that particular locale in the game space. Other means ofassigning a tag are envisioned including gesture based assignment inthose games utilizing motion based or gesture recognition controls.Audio commands may likewise be used to assign a tag in those gamesutilizing voice commands or having voice recognition capabilities (e.g.,‘drop tag’ or ‘assign tag’).

The particular locale in the game space has a VSC, which is the in-gameequivalent to a global positioning system location. Through the use of aVSC, and as further described with respect to VSC engine 130, theparticular tag will consistently be correlated to that portion of thegame space. Whenever another game player (or the same game player)passes by that VSC after the tag has been assigned, the tag and anycorresponding information in the content database 120 will be madeaccessible for review and study.

Content submission engine 110 allows a user to assign user generatedinformation to a tag that was ‘dropped’ in the game space. It isdifficult, if not impossible, to provide detailed information, hints, orother data during the course of game play. The submission engine 110provides the interface environment that allows for casual entry of thatinformation following the completion of game play. Submission engine 110provides a post-game play listing of all tags that were dropped orassigned during game play and allows the user the means to provide anassociated set of information to be stored in or retrieved from contentdatabase 120.

Through an interface generated by submission engine 110, a user mayprovide a detailed text message concerning information about the gameplay environment. The content may further include links to web pagesconcerning game play, that provide further related information, orinformation concerning upcoming tournaments, clans, and discussiongroups. A tag might also be associated with screen shots or other imagesrelated to game play and that might prove useful such as maps or ofinterest such as ‘kill shots.’ A tag can also be assigned to audio andvideo clips generated by a user and that might provide a ‘replay’ of aparticular portion of the game or verbal coaching as to game play.Profile information of the user providing the tag and corresponding userinformation may also be associated with a tag.

Entry of the game play information may be textual where a user enters awritten description of the game play advice (e.g., ‘watch out for thisguy’ or ‘through this door’ as shown in FIG. 3). Text-entry may occurthrough a virtual keyboard manipulated by a game controller coupled to agaming platform. The gaming platform, in turn, is coupled to the system100 via network. Submission of game play advice may be audible andprovided by speaking into a USB microphone headset. Combinations of gameplay advice submissions are also within the scope of the presentinvention (e.g., a video clip with audible narration).

In some embodiments, the submission engine 110 allows the user tore-trace game play and generate tags after the completion of game play.Some games might be so intense that even the act of generating a meretag might interfere with optimal game play. In such a game, the user canexecute the engine 110 after game play is complete and ‘re-trace’ theirsteps, as the game will have tracked what portions of the environmentwere and were not accessed during play. The user may then assign tags toparticular portions of the game space using a VCS system and theinformation associated therewith.

Submission of game play advice may also be contextually relevant. Asmany games are dynamic, especially first-person shooter type games, aparticular scenario encountered in a particular environment during oneround of game play (e.g., particular enemies) may differ significantlyfrom a subsequent encounter albeit in the exact same game spacedepending on a particular scenario generated by the game playintelligence. In such an instance, providing a tag indicative of gameplay advice to a subsequent user when the event giving rise to the tagis not at hand may be distracting and actually detract from effectivegame play.

Game event and context engine 140 may track these particular nuancedevents and, in conjunction the matching and display engine 150, ensurethat only contextually relevant tags are displayed. Informationconcerning context may be automatically be displayed by the contentsubmission engine 110. Alternatively, a user might identify specificcontextually specific limitations during the information provisioningprocess.

In order to avoid inconsistent naming protocols and that might otherwisecomplicate presentation of context sensitive game play advice, thecontent submission engine 110 may indicate that hints related tostorming the beach at Omaha in a World War II combat simulation are allprovided under the category of ‘Omaha Beach’ instead of a series of usergenerated titles such as ‘storming the beach,’ ‘Omaha,’ ‘chapter II,’and others. The content submission engine 110 may work in conjunctionwith the game event and context engine 140 with respect to providingnaming protocols.

The submission engine 110 may also allow for user corrections orannotations of game play advice. For example, a previous user mightprovide information concerning accessing a particular weapon, buterroneously identifies the particular weapon or provides some othercontextually inappropriate information. A subsequent user (or users)receiving that contextually inappropriate information may recognize theerror or that the information might be better presented in a subsequentstage or area of game play (or simply correct an otherwise minor error).The subsequent user may lodge a complaint or suggest that an entitytasked with quality assurance of game play advice review the submissionand/or context of the same.

Content database 120 manages user-generated game play advice submittedthrough the content submission engine 110. Content database 120 maymanage submitted game play advice by user, game title, nature of theadvice, date, size, content of the advice (e.g., video, audio, text,combinations of content), context, and so forth. Content database 120may include non-user generated game play advice (e.g., pre-stocked gameplay advice from the game publisher) that may be displayed by system100.

Content database 120 may store all game play advice received through aninterface generated by content submission engine 110. Alternatively,certain game play advice may expire over time or upon the occurrence ofcertain events. For example, the database 120 may only retain thetop-100 ranked game play advice submissions (as described in furtherdetail herein). Once a particular instance of game play advice fallsbelow a top-100 threshold, that particular instance may be deleted fromthe database 120. Expiration may be temporal such that instances of gameplay advice that are not accessed for a particular period of time areremoved from the database 120. Instances of game play advice may also beremoved from the game play advice database 120 a predetermined number ofdays after having been submitted to the system 100.

System 100 may include a ranking engine (not shown) to manage theranking of game play advice stored in content database 120. As describedin co-pending patent publication numbers U.S. 2010-0041475 A1 for“Real-Time, Contextual Display of Ranked, User-Generated Game PlayAdvice” and U.S. 2009-0063463 A1 for “Ranking of User-Generated GamePlay Advice,” the disclosures of each being incorporated herein byreference, when new game play advice is received, a ranking engine mayassign a default ranking to a new instance of game play advice. Thisdefault ranking and any other ranking (including those generated as aresult of user feedback) may be measured utilizing any rubric capable ofdistinguishing one instance of user-generated game play advice fromanother. In conjunction with a feedback engine and optional weightingengine, both of which are described in the aforementioned publications,the perceived quality of game play advice as adjudicated by a communityof users may be more readily identified.

Virtual spatial coordinate engine 130, as noted above, operates as aglobal positioning system for a particular game space. Depending on theparticular layout of the game environment, the VCS engine 130 mayidentify an X, Y, and (if appropriate) Z coordinate for the game space.This coordinate in the game space is then associated with individualinstances of in-game tags such that the tags are consistently providedin the same game space as when they were originally assigned. The VCSengine 130 not only provides consistent presentation of information, butalso accurate presentation as more general descriptions such as ‘hallwayby the door,’ ‘on the beach,’ or ‘Level II’ as might otherwise beutilized may not provide the specificity required to render useful gameplay advice. The VCS engine 130 may operate in conjunction withinformation concerning the rendering and tracking of user informationfor a particular game title and may thus be agnostic as to anyparticular game title.

Information concerning VCS data may be provided to the contentsubmission engine 110 to allow for generation of content and matching toin-game tags. VCS data from engine 130 may likewise be provided tocontent database 120 to allow for proper retrieval and display of usercontent and in-game tags by matching and display engine 150. VCS datamay also be used by game event and context engine 140 to assign propergame context to tags and associated content vis-à-vis the submissionengine and the matching/display engine 150.

Game event and context engine 140 is tasked with providing game playadvice in an appropriate context of game play such that it may beappropriately displayed by the matching and display engine 150. Contentsubmission engine 110 allows for annotation of appropriate contexts ofgame play advice by means of an in-game tag. The game event and contextengine 140 may identify the context of game play that would beappropriate for game play advice. For example, walking down an alleywaywithout threats, obstacles, or other encounters that would requiretactical game play are not likely to warrant the need for hints oradvice. Advancing up the beaches of Normandy on D-Day with heavy gunfire from German forces, obstacles and landmines on the beach, andadvancing troops and equipment from the English Channel would clearlyrequire quick and strategic thinking. In this instance, the game eventand context engine 140 would, in conjunction with the matching anddisplay engine 150, identify that tags providing game play advice areappropriate and feed that tag information to the display engine 150 suchthat tags may be displayed and content eventually accessed in database120.

A game developer may make initial determinations as to whether aparticular task or level will provide certain challenges thus makingadvice warranted. The context engine 140 may be programmed to correspondto such determinations. Further, the game developer may allow for theintroduction of user generated game play advice in those contexts wherethe game developer provides their own default game play advice; thesepoints may likewise be introduced into the context engine 140. Gamedevelopers, too, may study game play feedback in network games withrespect to identifying choke points or other areas where particularobstacles might prove to be more challenging in actual game playimplementation than those obstacles were during the course ofpre-release testing. A game developer may release an update to thecontext engine 140 over a network that allows for introduction of useradvice post-release. The submission engine 110 may then access thecontext engine 140 to allow for users to provide this information. Thesepoints may be with respect to levels, obstacles, events, enemies, and soforth.

As noted with respect to the submission engine 110, the context engine140 may identify certain points of game play related to objects,challenges, or enemies as well as levels or stages as a whole. Game codeor other metadata may be flagged with respect to objects or enemies andthese flags may be recognized by the context engine 140 upon executionof the game code by a gaming system or processing device. These flags ormetadata may be tied to allowing for entry of game play advice. Forexample, in a World War II simulation, a player might be crossing afield. The field, without any enemies present, may not warrant the needfor game play advice—submissions or providing of the same. Later in thatsame game environment (the field) a tank may enter the scene and beginfiring upon the game player. With the introduction of the tank,providing or receiving game play advice may now be warranted. For thetank to appear in the scene would require the execution of code relatedto the tank. The code for introducing and intelligently controlling thetank by the game platform may be flagged or identified by theaforementioned metadata. Once that flagged code or metadata isrecognized by the context engine 140, a user may provide advice orreceive the same.

The context engine 140, in this regard, is not only responsible foridentifying those points or instances of game play where a user mayprovide advice, but also those instances where providing advice isappropriate. For example, in the previously mentioned alleyway example,no challenges are present thus making the introduction of advice by thesystem inappropriate or unnecessary. Should a sniper suddenly beginfiring upon the game player, then advice on how to deal with the snipermay be appropriate for the user to consider. The context engine 140 mayrecognize that providing information related to the sniper isappropriate based on the game platform loading flagged code related tothe sniper. Similar provisioning of advice may occur with respect toencountering objects and the like. The context engine 140 may be tied tothe game play advice display engine 150 to allow for timely andcontextually appropriate display of that advice.

Game play advice display engine 150 is configured to allow for theeventual display of user-generated game play advice via in-game tags andVCS data. Display of this advice may be in further accordance with aranking result generated by a ranking engine and in furtherconsideration of determinations made by the context engine 140. Gameplay advice display engine 150 acquires information from the game playadvice database 120 (the advice) and a ranking database (ifappropriate), which has ranked game play advice as determined by aranking engine, and displays the game play advice (or makes availablethe game play advice) in accordance with the VCS data from engine 130 aswell as the context engine 140's determination that the display ofadvice related to a particular in-game tag and aspect of game play isappropriate.

By working in conjunction with the context engine 140, the displayengine 150 may display the highest ranked information but do so in themost appropriate context. For example, displaying information about aparticular enemy may be inappropriate when the user has not encounteredthat enemy notwithstanding the fact that the user providing theinformation previously encountered that enemy at the same VCScoordinates.

The display engine 150 may utilize an asynchronous programming languageto provide real-time (or substantially near real-time) updates to rankedgame play advice for display to a community of users. The display engine150 may, therefore, utilize a ladder ranking of game play advice withrespect to determining which in-game tags to display. In such anembodiment, the highest quality advice is presented as that advice ranksat the top of a ladder. In some embodiments, the particular arrangementof the advice as it corresponds to a given tag may be subject to user orsystem preferences such as particular tags searched by a user oridentified as being desirable by a user.

For example, a user may consistently experience difficulty using aparticular weapon during game play (e.g., a sniper rifle). Prior to gameplay, a user seeking advice may, through a corresponding search engineor other interface, inform system 100 that only those in-game tags andcorresponding advice with respect to user of the sniper-rifle is wanted.In this manner, the user is not inundated with data concerning the useof grenades, hand guns, and rocket launchers—all weapons with which theuser might be quite prolific and for which advice is not needed.

Similar searching and screening of tags may be used with respect toadvice from particular users or particular clans. This information maybe derived from profile information provided during tag and advicegeneration. In some instances, a user providing game play advice maylimit the accessibility of that advice to a limited number of users. Auser wishing to access device from a particular providing user may needto have been identified in advance of in-game tag access or otherwiseprovide a password or some indicia indicating that they are authorizedto access in-game tags and corresponding advice generated by aparticular user.

Display engine 150 may display advice in the context of a real-worldvirtual environment and/or a first- or third-person avatar. Game playadvice may be expressly provided via an in-game tag as shown in FIG. 3.Game play advice may also be provided through a series of hyperlinksprovided through the tag. Graphic images may also be utilized,especially in the context of game play advice that incorporates fullmotion video or still images. Links to audio files may be appropriate inthe case of audio-rendered advice. All of the aforementioned means ofproviding game play advice to a community of users (and in accordancewith an assigned default or feedback controlled ranking) may be managedby the display engine 150 and context engine 140.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary method 200 for receipt and subsequentdisplay of user-generated game play advice using in-game tags. The stepsidentified in FIG. 2 (and the order thereof) are exemplary and mayinclude various alternatives, combinations, equivalents, or derivationsthereof including but not limited to the order of execution of the same.The steps of the process of FIG. 2 (and its various alternatives) may beembodied in hardware or software including a computer-readable storagemedium (e.g., optical disc, memory card, or hard drive) includinginstructions executable by the processor of a computing device.

In step 210, user-generated game play advice is received from a user inthe community via an interface generated by the submission engine 110.Upon receipt of the user-generated advice in step 210, the advice isprocessed by the system 100 as described in the context of FIG. 1 andstored in game play advice database 120. Various rankings may also beassigned.

In step 220, the user-generated game play advice, which is associatedwith a tag, is assigned a particular context either by the usersubmitting the advice or by the context engine 140 as well as beingmatched with a given tag using VCS coordinates. In some instances, thecontext engine 140 may control the available contexts that a userassigns to the advice. In other instances, the context engine 140 maymake a determination as to the specific context of advice.

Following subsequent game play (230), the same or a different gameplayer may be navigating a particular game space. A previously generatedtag may be identified by means of VCS coordinates at step 240 (i.e., atag exists as to some particular game play advice at this particularlocale in the game space). The context of a game event is thenidentified in step 250. Identification step 250 occurs as a result ofthe joint operation of the context engine 140 and display engine 150 andmay be similar to identification of an initial context of game playadvice as occurs in the context of step 230 (but not otherwise displayedin FIG. 2). Upon a particular context being identified in an environmentand that corresponds to a particular VCS, then advice that is relevantto that particular context is identified. That advice is rendered inconjunction with display engine 150 at step 260. The display of advicemay take into account user rankings and/or user defined search tags orother limitations.

The method 200 of FIG. 2 may operate in real-time (or substantially inreal-time) using an asynchronous programming language. Through the useof an asynchronous language, small amounts of data may be continuallyexchanged with a database so that an entire user interface need not bereloaded in response to each user interaction. In such an embodiment, anXMLHttpRequest object may, for example, be utilized to fetch the mostrecent, contextually, and locally relevant game play advice fromdatabase 120 as referenced in FIG. 1. Relationships between rankings,user feedback, context, and game play advice may be reflected bymetadata or header data stored in the various databases of system 100.Game play advice rankings and context determinations may thus be updatedas feedback is received and new rankings are calculated.

Updating of information displayed in FIG. 2 may also operate subject toa predetermined schedule. For example, a ranking engine may updaterankings via user feedback at five minute intervals (or any other timeperiod as may be determined by a system administrator). Similar updatesmay occur with respect to context. Once an update is complete as aresult of a regularly scheduled ranking operation, the newly updatedinformation may be pushed to the display engine 150 for display to thecommunity of users in conjunction with appropriate VCS coordinates andcontext. The updated information may also be available for access inresponse to a user request or query.

While the present invention has been described with reference toexemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the artthat various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted forelements thereof without departing from the true spirit and scope of thepresent invention. Various alternative systems may be utilized toimplement the various methodologies described herein and various methodsmay be used to achieve certain results from the aforementioned systems.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method for providing onlycontextually relevant user-generated game play advice for a locationwithin a dynamic game, the method comprising: executing, by a processorinstructions stored in a memory to: receive an indication of a locationwithin a game space; receive the game play advice for a first locationfrom a user; determine a first scenario generated by the dynamic gamethat corresponds to the game play advice for the first location; assignthe game play advice to the first location specifically for the firstscenario generated by the dynamic game within the game space; duringsubsequent game play, determine: the subsequent game play's locationwithin the game space; the subsequent game play's scenario at thesubsequent game play's location; and in response to the subsequent gameplay being at the first location within the game space, automaticallydisplaying at the first location any of the game play advice.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising retracing the game play adviceupon which the game play is based, the game play advice retraceable bythe user after completion of the game play for revising or adding to thegame play advice.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the game play adviceis displayed in a three-dimensional virtual environment.
 4. The methodof claim 3, wherein a virtual coordinate system uses X, Y, and Zcoordinates.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the game play advice istextual.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the game play advice isvisual.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the game play advice isaudible.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically displaying thegame play advice includes a consideration of a ranking of all availablegame play advice, and wherein only game play advice of a particularranking is displayed at the first location and with respect to thepresent context of game play, the game play advice further allowing forcorrections to be made by the user.
 9. A system for providing onlycontextually relevant user-generated game play advice for a locationwithin a dynamic game, the system comprising: a processor; and a memorycommunicatively coupled with the processor, the memory storinginstructions which when executed by the processor perform a method, themethod comprising: receiving the game play advice over a network from auser; assigning the game play advice to a location within the gamespace; identifying a first scenario generated by the dynamic game thatcorresponds to the game play advice for a first location, and assigningthe game play advice to the first location specifically for the firstscenario generated by the dynamic game within the game space; duringsubsequent game play, determining: the subsequent game play's locationwithin the game space; the subsequent game play's scenario at thesubsequent game play's location; and in response to the subsequent gameplay being at the first location within the game space, automaticallydisplaying at the first location any of the game play advice.
 10. Thesystem of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises affecting, via aranking engine, the game play advice displayed by a display enginenotwithstanding the context of the event and the location of the event.11. The system of claim 10, wherein the method further comprisesreceiving, via a feedback engine, feedback from a community of userswith respect to a quality of the game play advice displayed by thedisplay engine, wherein the feedback engine and the ranking engineoperate to allocate a new ranking to the game play advice in accordancewith the feedback received from the community of users, the game playadvice being subsequently displayed by the display engine in accordancewith the new ranking.
 12. The system of claim 10, wherein the displayengine operates using an asynchronous programming language tocontinually update displayed game play advice submissions in accordancewith a most recent determination as to the context of the event.
 13. Amethod for providing only contextually relevant user-generated game playadvice for a location within a dynamic game, the method comprising:receiving an indication of a location within a game space; receivinggame play advice from a user; recognizing metadata associated withobjects, challenges or enemies in the game play at the location thatindicate that user generated advice is allowed; assigning the usergenerated game play advice to the location within the game space andassign the user generated game play advice a tag based upon therecognized metadata; and automatically displaying game play adviceduring subsequent game play at the same location within the game space.14. The method of claim 13, further comprising retracing the game playadvice upon which the game play is based, the game play adviceretraceable by the user after completion of the game play for revisingor adding to the game play advice.
 15. The method of claim 13, whereinthe game play advice is displayed in a three-dimensional virtualenvironment.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein a virtual coordinatesystem uses X, Y, and Z coordinates.
 17. The method of claim 13, whereinthe game play advice is textual.
 18. The method of claim 13, wherein thegame play advice is visual.
 19. The method of claim 13, wherein the gameplay advice is audible.